CHAPMANVILLE, WV (WOWK) – A Chapmanville police officer whose K-9 went missing nearly two weeks ago is “no longer employed” by the department.

On Monday, April 24, 2023, the Chapmanville Police Department confirmed to WOWK 13 News that Marcus Dudley is no longer employed as one of their officers. According to the department’s Facebook Page, Dudley had been sworn in in November 2020, and graduated from the West Virginia State Police Academy in November 2021.

On April 20, the Chapmanville PD said Dudley was placed on an administrative leave following the April 11, 2023, disappearance of his K-9 partner, Chase. The department says Chase was only with the Chapmanville PD for about a month and is fully trained in narcotics.

South Charleston Police have been searching for the two- to three-year-old K-9 Chase, and they said in a release on Thursday that Dudley’s statements have been inconsistent.

The Chapmanville Police Department said on April 11 that K-9 Chase jumped the fence at his home in the area of 2nd Avenue in South Charleston. When his handler, Officer Marcus Dudley, went to check on him, only his collar and the chain he was attached to were left.

SCPD says they started working on the case at the request of the Chapmanville Police Department on April 12. They determined that Chase did not escape from Dudley’s yard, and he was not stolen from the yard.

South Charleston PD is asking the public to continue to search for Chase or contact them with any information they may have about the K-9’s disappearance. “Rockhouse K9,” a professional dog training facility in Chapmanville, is offering a $500 reward for Chase’s return.